Expansions topic for State of the Port of Long Beach address

LONG BEACH - Multibillion dollar construction projects and the state of goods movement at the Port of Long Beach are expected to be part of the International Business Association's 10th annual State of the Port address on Thursday.

Hundreds of civic and business officials are expected to attend the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce event, which will present the address given by Port Executive Director J. Christopher Lytle.

This is the second time Lytle will give the address since taking over as chief of the nation's second busiest seaport in late 2011.

Lytle plans to discuss the port's $4.5 billion capital improvement program, which includes the replacement of the Gerald Desmond Bridge and the Middle Harbor project that fuses two aging terminals into one mega-terminal. The projects, which are already under construction, are expected to generate thousands of construction jobs and allow the port to remain competitive.

Lytle also plans to address the port's cargo numbers, which saw a surge in the last quarter of 2012, thanks to two major shipping lines that recently added services in Long Beach.

The State of the Port address will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.